The straight-stitch challenge

Okay, so call me crazy, but I actually enjoy the challenge of sewing my go-to-work clothing on my Singer 66 back-clamping treadle. What does that mean? No back-tack for one. No zipper foot. No buttonholer. All I have for that machine is a straight stitch foot, a narrow hem foot, and a couple of unidentified attachments, which I don't use for anything 'cause I don't know what they're good for!

The advantages are a beautiful straight stitch and ultimate control.

True Confessions: I'll have to confess here and now that I almost always make my buttonholes on the Singer 401, which makes primo buttonholes-if you hold your mouth right. The other thing is that I still use my serger to finish seams, even when doing a treadle project, if I'm in a hurry. That's one advantage of having many machines: you can always use another one!

How do I achieve a nice looking garment with these tools? I'll have to admit that long years of experience helps, along with loads of time spent devouring sewing books and magazine articles.

First, a couple of tips for sewing with the treadle. Take these to heart, especially number 3!

1. Practice until you can start and stop using only your feet. You need your hands for guiding the fabric.
2. Always stop sewing with the needle completely up. Maybe even heading back down slightly. This eliminates the problem of the needle unthreading itself when you start sewing. If it isn't up before you cut the thread, rotate the hand wheel until it is up *before* you cut.
3. Start each new project with maintenance. A little oil and a new needle, along with a cleaning and a general check of the machine will make for a much more pleasant sewing experience.

Securing Seams: All my life I've been in the habit of back-tacking at the beginning and end of a seam. Since the treadles came into my life, I've discovered a few alternatives:

1. Some seams don't need a back-tack. If you are going to sew over the seam right away, you may not even need any kind of reinforcement. Think about it. Most of the time, if you trim a seam, you trim it off anyway.
2. Start with ultra-small stitch length. If it's easy to change the length (and put it back), set the stitch length to tiny, start sewing, then lengthen the stitch to normal. Tiny stitches are much less likely to unravel than normal ones. This is easy on my Standard treadles, but harder on my Singer-so I usually don't use this on the Singer.
3. Front-tack. This is good on the Singers. Sew forward a few stitches (2 or 3). Stop. Lift the presser foot. Pull the fabric back to the beginning. Let the presser foot down and sew from the beginning again.
4. Drag-tack. Good on most machines I've tried. Start sewing slowly. Hold the fabric back so that the machine can't feed it and sew a few stitches. Let go. The few stitches made while you were holding on to the fabric will either stack up on one another or be very short. Tack made. Caution-Experiment with this at your own risk to fabric, fingers, and machine.
5. Turn around-tack. This is a time-honored, time-consuming method. Sew to the end of the seam. Stop with needle down. Lift presser foot. Rotate fabric. Lower presser foot. Sew a few stitches in the opposite direction.

Hemming: When I discovered that the Singer only had the very narrow hem foot, I was disappointed. Then I read an old 1920s sewing book which showed a picture of someone hemming a wide hem with the foot. It works really well. Press the hem up. You may need a few pins along. Then use the hem foot to turn under the edge and stitch. I've used this for straight hems and shirt plackets with excellent results.

Seam finishing: You can't just let it fray! I'm sorry, but nothing screams tacky like unfinished seams. Open up any sewing book and you'll find a plethora of methods for finishing seams. My current favorites are the French seam, the flat-felled seam, and the aforementioned serging.

1. French Seam: Assuming a 5/8" seam allowance, place garment edges to be seamed wrong sides together. That's correct: wrong sides together. Sew a 1/4" seam. Press open, or just press. Trim the seam by about half. Fold the garment right sides together. Press the seam back on itself sharply. Sew the edge again with a 3/8" seam.
2. Flat-felled seam. Again assuming a 5/8" seam allowance, place garment edges wrong sides together. Sew a 5/8" seam. Press open. Decide which way you want the seam to wrap. Trim the raw edge on that side to a scant 1/4". Press both raw edges together toward the other side. Bring the edge of the untrimmed edge to meet the stitching and press down. Fold the resulting flap over to the opposite side and press, then stitch along the outer edge.
   
3. Line it! A lot less fussy than the other methods, and in some cases, puts the entire garment well over the top! I've begun lining all of my skirts. It's neat, looks expensive, and keeps me from having to wear a slip.